It's hard to leave someone or something in the past if there's still grief or anger entwined in our story w/ them. Our nervous system doesn't love moving on unless & until we acknowledge & honor those feelings as legitimate & important-- which, btw, they absolutely are.

15 signs my #MentalHealth is getting bad again: Irritable, unable to focus, mood changes, anxiety, suicidal thinking, physical tension in the body, crying all the time... What's a sign your mental health is getting bad? #MentalHealthAwareness #PTSD #depression #MySeveralWorlds #NERVEmber

Things to Do On Bed Rest: Education #Advocacy & Volunteering ~ @achronicvoice.bsky.social "Even if you aren’t a blogger, you can help. Reading & resharing blog posts from other #ChronicIllness & #disabled bloggers helps raise awareness." 🔗 buff.ly/3OGUdPd #StrongerTogether #BloggingCommunity

HERE'S WHAT LIVING WITH #ChronicIllness HAS TAUGHT ME Some days you'll crash after a 5 min walk, other days you'll do more People will misunderstand Rest is part of care No one's opinion is more important than your own Credit @ARTHRITISMEGGIE #ChronicTruths #LifeWithArthritis #MySeveralWorlds

"Chronic noise exposure...may do more than harm your hearing. New research linked repeated loud sound to dopamine neuron death and movement issues in mice, offering insight into how environmental noise could contribute to #ParkinsonsDisease." 🔗 bit.ly/3Xhya5f

Many thanks to Melissa at @teamfibro (Fibromyalgia National Health Organization) for featuring my journey with #fibromyalgia. Read it: 🔗 supportfibromyalgia.org/fibromyalgia... ❓What is the most important piece of advice you would give to someone newly diagnosed with Fibromyalgia?

"I presumed I was fine since I did not experience pain, & continued to eat, drink & play sports as usual until I developed multiple #DVTs & a #PulmonaryEmbolism that nearly cost me my life. It also activated #AutoimmuneDiseases." 🔗 www.achronicvoice.com/antiphosphol... #APS @achronicvoice.com

"Me trying to swallow all the new info that my doctor just gave me." Credit: MySeveralWorlds.com #MySeveralWorlds #ChronicIllnessConfessions #ChronicMemes #ChronicHumor

Continuing to engage w/ someone who is toxic to us, even if we're right, even if no one else is challenging them, at the expense of our safety & stability is a trap. There is NO argument or interaction, especially on the internet, worth sacrificing our safety & stability over.

"Normal platitudes, which can mostly be summed up as "This too shall pass", don't apply when you have a treatment-resistant, severely disabling disease that will last your entire life." Credit @alexandrite113 #DisablingDisease #LifeWithDisability #ProgressiveIllness #DisabledLife #MySeveralWorlds

"People talk about budgeting for rent, groceries, travel. #ChronicIllness budgeting looks like: meds, doctor copays, emergency appointments, delivery food on flare days, heating pads, supplements, backup plans. All of it just to function." Credit @chronic.resources #ChronicTruths #MySeveralWorlds

How to measure pain in a culture sensitive way is an vital first step in research. Most pain measurements were developed in Western cultures. (McGill Pain Questionnaire) Most words were suitable for Chinese populations but some were difficult to translate. 🔗 buff.ly/JmNNvE7

What people think PTSD is 👉 Not being able to move on after a traumatic event ❗What #PTSD actually is MANY THINGS YOU NEVER REALIZE until you start addressing it. Credit: @what.is.mental.illness #MySeveralWorlds #MentalHealthMatters

I don't know how to feel about having disability transportation for the hospital on Mon. I'm all over the place. Mostly anxious! Once I get off in my wheelchair I need to deal with two social workers at the hospital (in a second language), do blood, and see my rheumy. It's a lot.

"There is a severe shortage of pain specialists with approximately 30,000 Americans in pain for every board certified pain specialist. This shortage is caused by a difficult path to specializing in pain treatment plus negative public scrutiny." 🔗 www.practicalpainmanagement.com/resources/et...

When you've experienced all of it and people don't understand how much it effed you up... SOME POSSIBLE CAUSES OF MEDICAL TRAUMA... Credit to the amazing @chronicloveclub.bsky.social ❤️ #MedicalGaslighing #MedicalTrauma #CPTSD #PTSD

"We often tell ourselves or others to be strong. Instead of instilling inspiration... it becomes another standard we have to meet. You don’t have to be strong all the time. One small step forward is still a powerful act." Via @achronicvoice.com 🔗 www.achronicvoice.com/2018/05/13/y... #ChronicPain

#Fibromyalgia is Noise Sensitivity Smell Sensitivity Chemical Sensitivity Envionment Sensitivity Weather Sensitivity Sensory Sensitivity Medication Sensitivity Skin Sensitivity Touch Sensitivity Taste Sensitivity Food Sensitivity Credit Unknown #MySeveralWorlds #LifeWithPain #FibroNerds #ChronicPain

#ChronicPain Changes You "Pain is not weakness. Pain is toughing it out each day when you feel your worst. It’s humbling to live w #pain. We adapt & grow in the darkest corners of our lives. Getting through each day IS the miracle. YOU are the miracle!" 🔗 www.myseveralworlds.com/2022/09/24/8...

"Metaphors are keys for opening the doors to understanding, for illustrating concepts that the average person is able to relate to. Despite living w #ChronicIllness for 20+ years, I realise that there is still so much I don’t know about."  🔗 buff.ly/3B1Edyl Via @achronicvoice.com

I smile through the pain…nausea…exhaustion…I have really bad days and those far outnumber the good. They can be absolutely awful… I’d give anything for a cure but since that’s not reality now—I play the hand I was dealt.” 🔗 buff.ly/3vPhveX #CRPS via @apainprincess.bsky.social

Our senior years is getting a whole bunch of discounts. Whether it's #ChronicIllness or aging, so much gets taken away. The segue into aging WITH chronic illness leaves you punched in the gut, breathless, wanting & yearning for what used to be." 🔗 www.pajamadaze.com/blog/aging-a...

👉 Yes I have. Housebound for 10 years. The only person I see regularly is my doctor. "Have you ever thought of what it would feel like to be stuck in your house for 10 years, and the only people you get to see, you have absolutely nothing in common with?" Via @tink_ina #MEAwarenessHour #MEAwareness

"I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration." ~Frida Kahlo Credit: #MySeveralWorlds #ArtTherapy #PainReliefTips #FridaKahlo

"If arthritis could be cured with diet and supplements, 1 in 5 of us would NOT be living with the exquisite agony of arthritis!" ~Carrie, #MySeveralWorlds Did you know I've got apparel for arthritis, fibro & Spoonie folks? I love wearing this t-shirt! Get it here: www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Ar...

Being Refused Treatment by AE "Sharp pain struck & I knew. After 4 hours, it was time. A well rehearsed routine on auto pilot. I put on a sweater. In went water, phone, a powerbank, my wallet & a bag w zippers; you don’t want things falling out." 🔗 buff.ly/2YV4myQ Via @achronicvoice.com

Yup. And they are all popping off at high intensity today. It started late last night. "Most painful points in fibromyalgia: Credit Unknown 👉 They forgot the tears on my face! 😭 #FibromyalgiaAwareness #CPP #ChronicPainIs #MySeveralWorlds #SupportFibro

My #insomnia was diagnosed in uni. "Primary insomnia is a type of chronic insomnia as defined by the ICSD-III. It tends to recur for many years throughout a person’s life. This type of insomnia is usually idiopathic... It can be impacted by stress." 🔗 www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/primary...

My #insomnia was diagnosed in uni. "Primary insomnia is a type of chronic insomnia as defined by the ICSD-III. It tends to recur for many years throughout a person’s life. This type of insomnia is usually idiopathic... It can be impacted by stress." 🔗 www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/primary...

Young adults in Singapore: “Even if I were to wear the #disability lanyard, I’m...sceptical people would give up their seat for me.” Pang is 25. He has #AnkylosingSpondylitis. We have many similar stories in #Taiwan with 'Who gets a disability seat?' 🔗 www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/...

“A lot of people think that #RheumatoidArthritis is just bad #arthritis, and it’s not. It’s systemic. It can attack your lungs and kidneys and you can get vasculitis. The chances of going into remission are very low, probably less than 5%." 🔗 www.ama-assn.org/delivering-c...

The Surprising Thing About Chronic Pain buff.ly/2Lvfo5n I’ve lived w. #ChronicIllness for 20 years & have gone through flares that are so disabling that I imagine this is what hell feels like. IMO, one cannot deal w. #ChronicPain when they’re defeated mentally. @achronicvoice.com

“The whole thought process of a #chronicallyill person is vastly different from a “healthy” person… they have no idea what it’s like—there may be 20 or more decisions you need to process before you can walk out your door.” 🔗 buff.ly/46vXYyv @KimberlyJPenix #Spoonie

My new manual wheelchair is a smooth ride. I've had over a dozen mobility devices in the past 16 years. I use my power wheelchair for distance, my manual for hospitals and travel, and my canes for a quick hobble. Plus a brief romance with an exoskeleton... #TheDisabledLife #MobilityAidsAreFreedom

Happiness & #ChronicPain CAN co-exist buff.ly/2CEyLpE "For years I have been escaping, fighting, denying & begging w pain. They worked for time but aren’t long-term solutions. I’ve realised I need to accept that pain will always be a part of my life. Via @AChronicVoice

In Their Own Words: #MECFS & #Fibromyalgia Patients Describe Their Symptoms @CortJohnson "I would not wish this illness on my worst enemy (if I had one)... sometimes I wish the naysayers could live in our bodies." 🔗 www.healthrising.org/forums/resou... #MEAwareness #FibromyalgiaAwareness

My #Spoonie #ColoringBook is on sale. 📣 Use GHOSTWRITER20 for 20% off. #MySeveralWorlds Coloring Adventure for Spoonies offers pages of inky delight to remind you that you are strong! It's made for #Spoonies by a #pwME who uses #ArtTherapy for #ChronicPain. 🔗 www.lulu.com/shop/carrie-...

I got heart palpitations every 3-4 days. I had many trips to ER. It isn’t dangerous within normal range, but I was unable to pay attention to anything else. After every rhythm reset I felt fatigue wash over me. I stopped working full-time. @achronicvoice.com 🔗 www.achronicvoice.com/2018/10/04/h...

Nobody reading this is "choosing" to "let" their nervous & endocrine systems get hijacked by trauma responses. Realistically managing trauma responses starts w/ purposefully, emphatically rejecting the victim blaming bullsh*t conditioned into us by bullies & abusers.

It's a thrill to see my 2007 photography on MSN. For many years prior to my health worsening, I was a travel writer and photographer. Grateful my writing & photography has stood the test of time! 🔗 www.msn.com/en-us/travel... #TravelPhotography #TravelTaiwan #MySeveralWorlds

I'm officially in my Crone era & I'm an official member of the skeleton crew with #SpA. Serving spooky this last week of Oct. 🧙‍♀️ "Reminder: seasonal changes make disabled people feel like shit. It has to do with the barometric changes. Or we're witches. We'll never say." Credit Crutches&SpookySpice

How our noisy world is seriously damaging our health "In Barcelona there are an estimated 300 #HeartAttacks and 30 deaths a year just from traffic noise, according to researcher Dr Maria Foraster, who has reviewed evidence on noise for the WHO." 🔗 www.bbc.com/news/article...

"be sure to start your day with a smile" how i start my day: 💀 Credit: grinsfromthegrave 👉This one is especially apt for Spondyloarthritis folks! 💀 |{I}\_🖤 I/ \ /_ \_ #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #PEM #PainfulTales #MySeveralWorlds

"When I think about what will be presented at healthcare conferences, I am frustrated. I don’t want an app to tell me how to track my fitness goal, but that’s what is popular. Digital med reminders are not what I need when I’m poor & can’t afford meds."  🔗 myheartsisters.org/2014/07/13/e...

When you live with #ChronicAnxiety, sometimes you want to switch your brain off. "It’d be nice if I could switch my brain off for a couple hours. No #anxiety, no panic attacks, no #depression, no worries, no pain." 🔗 buff.ly/37pXrBD Via @achronicvoice.com

Radio #Taiwan: In this week's episode of Oh, I Didn't Know That, Amber talks with Carrie Kellenberger about her journey of navigating Taiwan's healthcare system as a foreigner with #AutoimmuneDisease. This is part 2. Listen to part 1 to learn about her life w #axSpA. 🔗 www.rti.org.tw/en/programne...

#PainAwareness #ChronicPain & #MentalHealth are intricately interwoven. Here are just 5 ways life w/ pain can detrimentally affect mental #wellbeing. 🔗 invisiblyme.com/chronicpain-... Via @invisiblyme.bsky.social #spoonie #invisibleillness

"A light bump, pinch or punch can add a new bruise to the endless collection. I’m often surprised to find a new one hidden somewhere on my body" 🔗 www.achronicvoice.com/2021/07/14/b... #AntiphospholipidSyndrome #PulmonaryEmbolism #ChronicPain #APS #MedTwitter Via @achronicvoice.com

"A disabled person who cannot work, gets less than the LIVING WAGE in out-of-work benefits. Less than what's assessed to be required to survive. Less than anyone in a full-time job will get. THERE IS NO INCENTIVE." Credit: @adamfare1996 #SeeTheInvisible #MySeveralWorlds #InvisibleDisabilitiesWeek

Carrie shares her story of living with D2T #axSpA as an expat in #Taiwan. She opens up about her struggles with treatment-resistant symptoms and how these challenges motivated her to create #MySeveralWorlds, a blog dedicated to #PatientAdvocacy. 🔗 arthritis.theenthusiasticlife.com/2024/12/19/a...